The Young Elites by Marie Lu Book Review

Yay! Finished a book on my TBR!

This review is not going to contain many spoilers. But if there are then I will warn you beforehand.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Genre: Fantasy/Dystopian/Young Adult

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Pages: 355

Recommended Age: 13 and up

Summary:

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Review:

Wow. Marie Lu really gets darker and sexier with this book!

This isn’t as much of a Dystopian novel as I had believed before I read the book. It is more of a dark fantasy world with magic, complex villains and characters, and a prince looking to reclaim his throne.  Plus people trying to get over a blood fever that has long since swept through their land. And this is unbelievably good.  

I loved Adelina. Well, now I do.

When I first started reading this book, I was a little wary of Adelina. I thought she was going to be one of those whiny, heroines who was a little dark but a little bit helpless.  Boy, was I wrong!  

“I am Adelina Amouteru. I belong to no one. On this night, I swear to you that I will rise above everything you’ve ever taught me. I will become a force that this world has never known. I will come into such power that none will dare hurt me again.”

If this quote doesn’t prove it then I’m not sure what will.  Adelina has spent most of her life being abused and wronged by her father.  And she also has a complex relationship with her younger sister.  Don’t get me wrong, she loves her but is constantly jealous of her father’s love towards her. When she unleashes her magic, all hell breaks loose.

The Young Elites Enter the Picture

The Young Elites are a group of people who have powers and are trying to get control of the throne.  

I love most of the characters in this book. Even the crazy, evil, manipulative ones.

This book has many elements that I have grown to love.  A light romance  Not too much though not too little. (well, there is this one scene… SPOILER AHEAD)

“He places a gloved hand against the small of my back and stops me. I stand still for a moment, trembling in his grasp. Rain shines on his lashes. His other hand tilts my chin up. I only have time to glance once at his face before he brings his lips down to mine. Then he’s kissing me, really kissing, reaching deep down for more...He pins me to the damp wall, so that his body is pressed solidly against mine. In this moment, I can’t seem to remember anything. I push myself up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck...My hand slides from the back of his neck to the part of his throat exposed by his shirt...He takes my hand, pulls it away from his skin and pins it firmly to the wall over my head. His kisses wander down to my neck…”

And yeah...I did skip some but oh gosh.  I could take lessons from Marie Lu on how to write kissing scenes.

There’s also a dark, physically scarring main character, beautiful friendships (well….), a couple complex ‘villains’ and a plot to take over the kingdom.

Back to The Young Elites.  They are lead by this handsome stranger named Enzo.

“An instant later, I realize I recognize his eyes-dark as midnight, with thick lashes. This is my mysterious stranger. Now, instead of wearing that silver mask and his hooded robes, he’s clad in finely spun linen and a black velvet doublet trimmed with gold, clothing exquisite enough to belong to the wealthiest aristocrats. he’s tall. He has the warm brown skin of northern Kenettrans, and his cheekbones are high, his face narrow and beautiful. But his hair holds my attention the most. It looks dark red in the light, so dark it’s almost black, a rich shade of blood…”

Ugh, why so many handsome people in this book….

The setting is also done really amazingly. You can really believe it exists and you can be utterly immersed in this book.

I love the characters so much as I have said before.

Adelina is a total heroine. Well, she is supposed to be a heroine but I have a feeling that’s not going to work so well in the next book considering all she’s been through in this book.  

She doesn’t wait for someone else to do her dirty work. Instead she carries it out herself. No matter how terrible.

Enzo

(SPOILER AHEAD)

“I will take back my throne soon,” Enzo whispers. “And malfettos will no longer live in fear.”

He’s ready to get what he wants but he doesn’t want to hurt innocents no matter how much torture they have put him through. But he will do a lot of things to get it back. Including hurting Adelina. And their romance (Is it one?) is so darkly seductive and beautiful.  Even though he does things like this: (SPOILER AHEAD)

“She is nothing to me,” he snaps with a careless gesture of one hand. “Nothing more than a Dagger recruit. Just part of our plans.” The ice in his voice hits me hard.

Don’t you dare mess with him or his friends though. You’ll get it.

Then there’s Torin.

Oh god. Yes, I know he’s supposed to be the bad guy but he’s hella hot. And I think he could be good if someone gives him a chance.

He kneels on the floor. Lifts the whip. Holds his breath. Then he snaps the whip over his head. The blades rake deep into the flesh of his back, ripping jagged lines across his skin. He lets out a strangled gasp as pain floods him, robbing him of his breath.

I am a deformed creature, he mouths silently, repeating the words he once said as a twelve-year-old boy, an Inquisitor in-training, kneeling before the sixteen-year-old Princess Giulietta

And he’s very misunderstood. You don’t really understand that he has problems of his own until later on.

And the fights are awesome. They are described very well and you can seriously feel the pain of the people who are in it.  

Overall I loved this book and you should NOT be surprised when I have it on a later TBR next year.

October 2015 Book Haul

Hello lovelies,

        Sorry for the long absence. I've been dealing with school, and grades and all that jazz... So, I was supposed to write a thoughts on Teen Wolf post and a couple reviews but I decided, hey why don’t I do a book haul because I have gotten a couple books in October.

Anyways...let’s get started.  And no, these don’t have to do with Halloween. I’m sorry!

The first book I bought was The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason.  I bought this book online at Thrift Books and it is has many books though often the newer ones are out of stock. Sadly.  But I did get this book from there.

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you’re the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there’s no one more qualified to investigate.

Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don’t unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they’ll become the next victims.

The second book I bought was Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.  I also got this book online at Thrift Books.  I have been seeing and hearing good things about this book so I decided to pick it up and see what all the buzz was about. I have yet to read this book but it will go into one of my upcoming TBRs.

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

The third book I bought was Legend by Marie Lu.  I got this book online at Thrift Books.  I have read this book and I loved it so naturally I wanted to own it. I will be re-reading this sometime.  

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

The fourth book I bought was The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason. I got this book from Barnes and Noble. This is the third book in the Stoker and Holmes series and I love this series so much.  I will be doing a review on the second book soon.  This series is amazing and you should check it out.  This was also one of my most anticipated books for this year and I actually got it a week after it came out!!! Yay!!

No summary for this one. Sorry!

The fifth book I bought was Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. I got this from Barnes and Noble last week and I have been wanting to get this book for a while.  This seems like a really great read and I can’t wait to get into it.

A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

The sixth and last book I bought was Prodigy by Marie Lu. This is the second book in the Legend Trilogy and I had to get this book.  

And sorry no summary for this one! :(

That’s it for this blogpost.  Sorry it was so short!

See y’all next time. (Don’t know where I’m going with that y’all thing…)

Library Book Haul October 2015

Hello lovelies,

       Here we have another blogpost. I am supposed to be doing a review of The Scorch Trials Movie right now but I just went to the library and got some books so I thought I’d do a different type of blog post for today! :)

The first book I checked out was Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza

This is the first book in a Sci-fi series.

Mila was never meant to learn the truth about her identity. She was a girl living with her mother in a small Minnesota town. She was supposed to forget her past—that she was built in a secret computer science lab and programmed to do things real people would never do.

Now she has no choice but to run—from the dangerous operatives who want her terminated because she knows too much and from a mysterious group that wants to capture her alive and unlock her advanced technology. However, what Mila’s becoming is beyond anyone’s imagination, including her own, and it just might save her life.

I had never heard of this book before so I thought it would be cool to just check it out and see how it was.

The second book I checked out was The Iron King by Julie Kagawa.

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

So, I have heard so many things about this book and it looks sooooooo good. I really can’t wait to read this and it is so going on my TBR for next month.

The third book I checked out was Prophecy by Ellen Oh

The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

I have never heard of this book EVER so I naturally thought why not…

The fourth book I checked out was Defy by Sarah B. Larson

Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.

The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Sooooooo many people didn’t like this book which I found rather odd. I love these types of books and considering it is almost a retelling of Mulan that makes it sound even better!

The fifth book I checked out was Court of Fives by Kate Elliott

On the Fives court, everyone is equal.

And everyone is dangerous.

Jessamy’s life is a balance between acting like an upper-class Patron and dreaming of the freedom of the Commoners. But away from her family, she can be whomever she wants when she sneaks out to train for the Fives, an intricate, multilevel athletic competition that offers a chance for glory to the kingdom’s best competitors.

Then Jes meets Kalliarkos, and an improbable friendship between the two Fives competitors—one of mixed race and the other a Patron boy—causes heads to turn. When Kal’s powerful, scheming uncle tears Jes’s family apart, she’ll have to test her new friend’s loyalty and risk the vengeance of a royal clan to save her mother and sisters from certain death.

This book just sounded awesome, nothing else to really say about it! :)

The sixth book and final book I checked out was Starling by Lesley Livingston

Mason Starling is a champion fencer on the Gosforth Academy team, but she's never had to fight for her life. Not until the night a ferocious, otherworldly storm rips through Manhattan, trapping Mason and her teammates inside the school. Mason is besieged by nightmarish creatures more terrifying than the thunder and lightning as the raging tempest also brings a dangerous stranger into her life: a young man who remembers nothing but his name—the Fennrys Wolf. His arrival tears Mason's world apart, even as she feels an undeniable connection to him. Together, they seek to unravel the secrets of Fenn's identity as strange and supernatural forces gather around them. When they discover Mason's family—with its dark allegiance to ancient Norse gods—is at the heart of the mystery, Fennrys and Mason are suddenly faced with a terrifying future.

Considering this has Norse Gods in it, I naturally thought Give me that book and let me read it. This will be going on my next month’s TBR! :)

Well, that’s all for this blogpost. I will see you soon with a Scorch Trials movie review, maybe a tag blogpost, another haul, some more book reviews and a top 10 post! :)

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson Review

This review will contain spoilers!

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult

Publisher: Henry Holt

Pages: 492

Recommended Age: 13 and up

Summary:

A princess must find her place in a reborn world.

She flees on her wedding day.

She steals ancient documents from the Chancellor's secret collection.

She is pursued by bounty hunters sent by her own father.

She is Princess Lia, seventeen, First Daughter of the House of Morrighan.

The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance.

Fed up and ready for a new life, Lia flees to a distant village on the morning of her wedding. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deceptions swirl and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—secrets that may unravel her world—even as she feels herself falling in love.

Review:

When many people recommended this book to me I was like “Okay, I guess I could give this a try.”

Lia is fierce and DOES NOT want to be forced into a marriage alliance with someone she has never seen before.

Everything about this book was:

I am often struggling to find time to read and it is very problematic. I really wanted to read this book all at once so I read it whenever I could.

I loved this book so much:

It is basically a mix of historical fantasy:

And then a quest like story:

There was also a love triangle but it was better than most:

And the love interests were both swoon-worthy:

And for some reason I like Kaden better than Rafe. He’s just bad boy material:

Over all this book was AWESOME!

Now on to the REAL Review:

I’d never read one of her books before so I wasn’t really sure what to expect but from what people had said, I knew this book was the type of book I like to read. I had high expectations for this book and I really can’t say that I was disappointed.  The plot was well developed as was the world. The characters were also wonderful and well done.

Lia is a heroine through and through. She is fierce, determined, and willing to do the unthinkable for what she wants. She doesn’t want to be forced into an arranged marriage so she runs away with her best friend to a small rural village where she then works in a tavern.

For the first half of the novel, the characters were developed and so was the world. We got to know the main characters fairly well before the action began. I didn’t really expect it to suddenly turn into a quest like atmosphere for the second half of the novel.

This novel was wonderful. I was surprised she didn’t actually put magic into the novel. There was talk of it but nothing ever came close to magic.

I also didn’t mind the love triangle as it wasn’t distracting and annoying. It was well crafted and you kind of knew she wasn’t going to trifle with one of them. The two guys are perfection. Rafe is a handsome ‘farm-hand’ whom Lia seems to like at once. And then Kaden is more of a dark mysterious handsome person. He was my favorite even though he’s the one who (SPOILER ALERT!) betrays her. I wasn’t expecting him to betray her as he was pretty sweet and seemed to actually have an interest in her as a person.

At the end of the book, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the next one but you can guess that something terrible will happen to one of the main characters. I am so worried that she will kill of Rafe or Kaden.

I can’t wait to read the next book soon and I am sure it is going to be the most wonderful sequel.

If you don’t have this book on your TBR, rethink that decision. Pick this up from your local library, buy it from a bookstore or borrow it from a friend ‘cause this is seriously a book worth reading. I can’t recommend it enough and I am actually thinking about re-reading this soon or buying it!